Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 28 August 2015.

Contact Information

Address: 3424 Kennedy Boulevard , Jersey City, NJ 07307
Email: alhudajc@gmail.com
Website: https://www.facebook.com/MasjidAlHudaJC

Masjid Al Huda was founded in 1999 and recently relocated to Kennedy Boulevard in 2014, offering a larger space for prayers and programming. The mosque emphasizes its commitment to catering to the needs of all Muslims regardless of background. Offering many of its services to the convert and youth members in the English language, Masjid Al Huda has one of the fastest growing Muslim communities in Jersey City. Description of Center Masjid Al Huda is a two-story building located on one of Jersey City’s main streets, Kennedy Boulevard. The mosque has one main entrance for both men and women, with the main level comprising of the men’s prayer hall, restrooms, and a staircase leading to the second level that has the women’s prayer hall, restrooms, kitchen, classrooms, and offices. The both prayer areas have newly installed green carpeting and bookshelves. Several posters are hung throughout the mosque, with directions in Arabic on how to pray, make ablution, and perform supplications. The mosque is currently in the process of creating a new parking lot for its members. Leadership As the imam of Masjid Al Huda, Sheikh Ali Matawee often leads prayer and Friday sermon services. The mosque is currently in the process of establishing a board consisting of diverse leadership. Presently, members of the community—including men, women, converts, and youth—are developing programming for the mosque. Activities and Schedule Masjid Al Huda provides prayer services everyday along with Friday sermons (khutbahs). Al Huda holds its first Friday sermon of the day at 12:30 pm in English and a second, held at 1:15 pm, in Arabic. Arabic-speaking individuals who attend the first sermon have the option of calling a certain number to listen to its Arabic translation. For the purpose of engaging the Jersey City youth members that miss Friday services due to school, Al Huda also hosts “Mock Khutbahs” throughout the academic year, shortened versions of the sermons that take place at 4:30 pm. During Ramadan, the mosque invites its community members to break fast together and offer nightly prayers (taraweeh). Throughout the year, several classes are offered to the Al Huda community, including introduction to Islam classes for converts on Fridays and Arabic classes for men and women on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively. Currently, a member from the Islamic Learning Center community is offering a class on the exegesis of the Qur’an, a class intended for recent female converts. Al Huda holds a number of youth meetings throughout the year and annually partners with other Jersey City mosques to host youth soccer tournaments. The mosque is also organizing an educational workshop on the Islamic process of funeral services. The mosque often works with Building Blocks New Jersey, an Islamic community service initiative, to serve the Jersey City community through street cleaning programs and back to school drives. While the amount of interfaith work that occurs at the mosque is minimal, the developing board and organization has expressed keen interest in creating future programs that serve and interact with all communities. Converts make up a significant percentage of the Al Huda congregation and many say they hope to maintain ties with other faith centers and individuals. Demographics Al Huda is one of the few mosques in Jersey City that caters to native English speakers. The Center emphasizes that it welcomes individuals of all ethnicities and backgrounds. It is estimated that approximately 30 percent of the congregation is made up of Hispanic, Italian, and other Euro-American converts while the remaining 70 percent refers to Arab Americans and immigrants. Both men and women are involved in all aspects of mosque activities, ranging from organizational leadership to attending community classes.